Typical building fire alarm systems include a number of fire detectors and notification appliances (e.g., audible and visual alarms) positioned throughout a building. The detectors and appliances, also referred to as peripherals, are connected to and intelligently controlled by a central panel. Signals from the detectors are monitored by the central panel which activates the notification appliances upon sensing an alarm condition.
It is desirable to have a single central panel monitor and control intelligent peripherals in more than one building due to considerations such as central panel cost. Long communication links such as fiber optics must then join remote peripherals to the main system loop.